Electric switch



Sept. 15. 1925. 1,553,330

w. SCHMID ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Jan. 50, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 15, 1925; 1,553,330

W. sCHMifi ELECTRIC SWi'ICH Filed Jan. 30. 1923 2 Shant -Shem. z

Patented Sept. 15 1-925.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM scnmn, or coflnwurna, mronmnn,

ASSIGNOR T0 CASKEY-DUIPREE MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF COLDWATER, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

ELECTRIC SWITCH.

Application filed January 80, 1923. Serial No. 615,808.

To all whom it may concern.

7 Be it known that WILLIAM SCHMID, a citizen of the United States, residing at Coldwater, in the county of Branch and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Switches, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to electric switches and more particularly to those electric switches that are adapted to control the ignition and lighting circuit of automobiles, though the invention is not to be thus restricted.

In switches of this class contacts have been integrally formed'with springs made of sheet metal and assembled with suitable actuators. The springs have hitherto been relied upon to electrically connect the contacts thereon with the result that the current conveyed between the.conta'cts by the springs would cause the springs to deteriorate.

In practicing my invention I do not rely upon the springs to electrically connect the contacts but provide connections between the contacts through which current is conveyed independently of the springs. In one form of the invention the springs are metallically continuous between and are elec-,

trically connected with'the contacts pertaining thereto but because of the added connections between the contacts the amount of current passing through the springs is re duced to a point where it will not have a harmful effect thereon. The invention, however, is not to be limited to a structure in which a divided portion of the current may pass between the contacts by way of the spring or springs supporting them. In automobile switches for employing ignition and lighting circuits other sets ofcontacts are also provided upon metallic rings which electrically connect the contacts pertaining thereto. These rin s have hitherto been also in the form of springs to exert pressure.

upon the contacts carried upon the rings with the result that the spring rings are caused to deteriorate by current passing therethrough. I overcome this objection by employing an actuator for turning the ring and comprising a support and at'least two oppositely directed spring arms assembled with this support and having their remote ends engageable with abutments that are provided upon the ring. 'Inthe preferred embodiment'of this feature of the invention the ring is formed with two pairs of radially disposed depressions, the depressions of each pair having tongues projecting over the depressions in opposite directions.

The invention will be fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a front view illustrating the preferred embodiment thereof; Fig. 2 is a rear view; Fig. 3 is a rear view of the switch with the contact carrier at the rear of the switch removed; Fig. 4 is a rear View of the switch with the contact carrier and the contacting elements complemental to the contacts upon this carrier all removed; Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating the current conducting ring; Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating the actuatorforthe ring shown in Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a sectional view on line 77 of Fig. 3; Fig. 8 is a sectional View on line 88 of Fig. 9; Fig. 9 is a side view of the switch with the casing and its mounting plate shown in section and the balance of the switch in elevation; and Fig. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a pair of contacts which are mounted upon a spring but which are electrically connected independently of the spring.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the different figures.

The casing has an end wall 1 and a side I wall 2, the wall 1 being essentially flat and the wall 2 being preferably cylindrical. A mounting plate 3' is secured to the casing in any preferred way as by means of rivets 4 passing through the plate and the end wall of the casing. A large central circular opening 5, co-axial with the casing, is formed in the mounting plate. One or more arcuate slots 6, also concentric with the casing, are formed through the end wall thereof and are aligned with the openings 5, these slots being formed in depressed portions 7 of the end wall. The handle 8-has a circular portion 9 passing into the opening 5 and is formed with projections 10 that pass through the arcuate slots 6 and which are suitablyassembled with a contact actuator 11. As illustrated, the projections 10 are bifurcated at their inner ends to form tongues 12 which underlie the actuator 11, this actuator being confined between these tongues and the end wall of the casing. The arcuate slots are of sufficient length to afford a limited range of turning movement for the handle. The contact actuator 11 is in the form of a ring which surrounds the handle projections 10, there being notches 13 upon the interior of the ring that receives said projections whereby turning movement of the ring accompanies the turning movement of the handle.

There is a sleeve 14 that is co-axial with the handle and with the casing and other rotating parts of the switch. The sleeve 14 houses the barrel 15 of any suitable lock which is accessible from the front of the handle. Suitable slots in the sleeve, not shown, receive the tumblers 16 when the inner switch 22 is to be locked and from which the tumblers are to be withdrawn when the switch 22 is to be adjusted,'the handle operated switch being preferably always adjustable. The rotating part of the lock carries a projection 17 which extends into the switch caslng through a central opening in the end wall of the casing.

A contact actuator 18 is formed with an opening that receives the projection 17, this opening being of such shape as to provide material relative turning movement between this actuator and the lock projection 17 while permitting movement of the actuator along this projection. While the contact actuator 11 is maintained in its zone of rotation by being'confined between the handle tongues 12 and the end wall of the casing the actuator 18 is main tained in its zone of rotation, which happens to be also thezone of rotation of the ring 11, by the spring contacts which are actuated thereby as will more fully appear.

A contact carrier 19 carries bayonet pins 20 that are receivable in bayonet slots, not shown, that are formed in the cylindrical wall of the casing. This contact carrier-carries' twocontacts 21 that are to be thrown into and out of connection as will nov appear. The actuator 18 also constitu es a support for two spring arms\22 which are preferably. integrally formed out of one piece of sheet metal but to which integral formation the invention is not who limited. The adjacent ends of these arms are secured, by means of rivets 23, to the support or actuator 18 and the balance of the arms are spaced apart from the element 18 to permit the arms to flex. Contacts 24, 25 are provided u on the remoter ends of the arms and are desirably formed by dishingthese ends of the arms toward the contact carrier 19 so as to be receivable within cavities formed upon the inner ends of the contacts 21 that are desirably in the form of threaded rods which receive binding screws 26. The contact 25 is co-axial with the support or carrier 18 and the contact 21 that is complement-a1 thereto, all of these parts being also cjo-axial ends of the pairs of arms enga with the switch casing whereby the contact 25 is constantly in engagement with the contact complemental thereto, the contact 24 being in separable engagement with its complemental contact.

Hitherto the spring arms carrying suc contacts 24 and 25- have been relied upon to electrically connect the same for the purpose of electrically connecting the contacts 21. The current thus conveyed between these contacts would deteriorate the spring carryingi the contacts.

avoid this result, by providing an elec trical connection 27 between the contacts 24 and 25 whereby current may be conveyed between these two contacts independently of the spring arms. The connection 27 is desirably formed inone integral structure and out of the same piece of sheet metal with the arms 22 and the contacts 24 and 25.

Springs 22 furnish sufficient spring pressure properly to engage the contacts 24 and 25 with their complements and also to main tain the support of carrier 18 against the end wall of the casing to define the zone of turning movement of this element 18.

The contact carrier 19 also carries other contacts 29 with which the contacts 30, 31, 32 and 33 may be engaged or from which these latter contacts may be separated by the actuation of the contact actuator 11. The conpassing through the spring ring would cause the ring to deteriorate. I therefore provide a supplemental spring means which does not carry current but which serves to exert the desired pressure upon the contacts that are uponthe'ring. This spring means comprises the actuator or sup ort I1 and two pairs of oppositely extende spring arms 35,- 36 and 37 38. The arms of each pair are desirabl integrally formed of the same piece 0 strip metal and are anchored at their adjacent ends by means of rivets'39 passing through these ends and the contact actuator or support 11 as indicated in Figs. 7 and 8.

The ring is formed with two pairs of abutments 40, 41 and 42, 43. The remote the abutr ments of each pair respective y, one arm serving to turn the ring in one direction when the actuator 11 is turned in that direction and the other arm serving to turn the ring in the reverse direction 'when the direction of movement of the actuator 11 is reversed. The abutments 40, etc, are desirably transverse end walls of pairs of radially disposed depressions 44, 45 and 46, 47. The

III

la d

' ters -sions 40 and 41 whereby the ring with two radially disposed ring carries oppositelydirected tongues 48 and 49 which respectively overlie the depresand other oppositely directed tongues 50 and 51 which res tively overlie the depressions 4:6 and 47. The transverse edges of the remote ends of each pairof arms are spaced closer together 'but having thus described my invention to Patent the following 1. An electric switch including a metallic ring carrying contacts that are electrically connected thereby, this ring being formed with two radially disposed depressions and having tongues projecting overv the depressions m opposite d1rections;'a contact 0815- rier having contacts complemental I claim asnew and desire secure by Leting the ri and comprislng a sup ort and two spring arms assembled with the support and' having their. remote ends projecting into said the remote ends of the arms being spaced closer together than are the transverse edges of the depressions which face them.

2. An electric switch including a metallic ring carrying contacts that are electrically connected thereby, this ring being formed depressions and having tongues projecting over the depressions in opposite directions; a contact carrier havmg contacts complemental tothe claimed form the subfiled March 25, 1924 a and assembled with the su opposite directions; a contact 7 to the I aforesaid contacts; and an actuator for turndepressions, the transverse edges of 1 support and having their remote ends proecting into said depressions. I

3. An electric switch including a metallicring carrying contacts that are electrically connected thereby, this rin being formed with two pairs of radially 'sposed depressions, the depressions of each pair having tongues projecting over the depressions in opposite directions; a contact carrier having contacts complemental tothe aforesaid contacts; and an actuatovfor turning the ring and comprising a support and two pairs of oppositely extending spring arms respectively individual to the pairs of depressions port and having their remote ends projecting into said depressions, the transverse edges of the remo e ends of each pair of arms being spaced closer together than are the transverse edges of the depressions which face them. 0 4. Anelectric switch including a metallic ring carrying contacts that are electrically connected thereby, this rin beingformed with two pairs of radially isposed depres sions, the depressions of each pair havingtongues projecting over the depressions in carrier having contacts complemental to the aforesaid contacts; and an actuator for turning the ring.

and comprising a support and two pairs of oppositely extending spring arms respectively individual to sions and assembled with the support and having their remote endsprojecting into said depressions.

5. An electric switch including a metallic ring carrying contacts that are electrically connected thereby; a contact carrier having the pairs of depresv contacts complemental to the aforesaid contacts; and an actuator for turning the ring and comprising a support and two oppositely directed spring arms. assembled with this support and having their remote ends in engagement with the abutments that are provided upon the ring. v

witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe aforesaid. contacts; and an actuator for my name this 20th day of January A. D., turning the ring and comprising asupport 1923. and o spti'iigarms assembled with the serum); 

